A Review of Bank Performance in the Fifth District, 1985

The profitability of commercial banks in the Fifth Federal Reserve District improved in 1985. Return on assets reached .98 percent and return on equity 15.41 percent, well above the average of the past seven years. In comparison, the corresponding figures for all banks in the United States were .70 percent and 11.33 percent. Such results, and those of the period since significant deregulation of banking began in 1980, indicate that Fifth District banks have been able to adjust well to a more competitive banking environment